Sestak Proposes School Food-Safety Bill

WASHINGTONRep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) plans to introduce new legislation aimed at improving the safety of food served under U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National School Lunch Program.

As reported by Meatingplace, the bill seeks to improve how federal agencies communicate with schools during recalls and improve food-testing standards. The bill is a companion to legislation introduced September 2009 by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, (D-N.Y.). That bill was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Both bills are in response to an Aug. 20, 2009 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that detailed numerous problems in coordinating recall efforts and communicating those recalls to schools.